I just bought a 1988 Sovereign to keep my Series III company, it is mechanically in excellent condition in spite of having close enough to 400,000 kms on the clock, and here's the "but" :

The previous owner replaced the steering rack with a brand new one, and now the pump is spewing fluid all over the place, but only after being driven and then parked.

I haven't read anywhere about the power steering pumps being a particularly weak point on these cars, I found a rebuilt one at napa which I'm waiting for to arrive from Ontario and understand it's a relatively easy (for a Jaguar) part to replace, but I suppose I am wondering why it's occurring and why it hadn't been an issue before?

Assuming the job was done right, is it a case that the fluid is just finding the weakest point in the system (the rear seal on the pump) now the rack has been renewed? and if so, does this indicate there is too much pressure in the system? Or is the failure of the pump a common occurrence that I haven't heard about?

thanks in advance for any ideas,

 

Hi Tim,

I'm no expert on the P/S pump because thankfully I've never had to bother with the ones on our '88 or '93. But over the years I know several owners have either rebuild or replace their original pumps. This seemed to be a more common issue on the early XJ40s. It doesn't seem to be a common problem, but at 400K I don't think it should come as any surprise if some of your original components give up the ghost.

It used to be possible to purchase a rebuild kit for the XJ40 pumps with all the necessary seals. I don't know if those kits are still available, but at your mileage I think you were prudent to just order a professionally-rebuilt replacement.

I seem to recall something about getting the "drive dog" properly aligned or installed, so do you homework and read the service manual instructions. You might also do a search of the archives at the Jag-Lovers forum because I know that over the years there have been reports posted there from owners who have rebuilt or replaced their pumps.

Please keep us infomed!

Cheers,

Don